Final approval for 133 homes in Kingsley area of Harrogate

Harrogate Borough Council initially rejected the Kingsley Road plans in 2019, but the authority was forced to reconsider the proposals after its decision was overturned at appeal.

Final plans were then submitted by the developers Redrow, however, local residents brought the development to a halt after using night vision cameras to discover six out of 11 badger setts in the area were active.

A wildlife consultant for Redrow told a council meeting on Tuesday that after further badger surveys and through mitigation measures there would be "no damage or danger" to the protected mammals.

And while this allayed the concerns of councillors, their attention soon shifted to the safety of pedestrians on Kingsley Road on Bogs Lane.

A new footpath connecting the two roads has been promised by the developers of another housing site in the Kinglsey area which overall is facing the construction of around 600 new homes.

However, detailed plans for the footpath have yet to come forward.

Councillor Hannah Gostlow said road safety was a "huge concern" and that having seen a mother and two children try to navigate the road on Tuesday, the "risk to life" was clear.

She suggested a temporary footpath be built within the Redrow site - and the developers agreed to submit proposals for this should the other footpath on the opposite side of Kingsley Road not be built before the new homes are.

Councillor Pat Marsh described the road as "very dangerous" and said a solution for pedestrians had to be treated as a priority.

She said: "The footpath opposite has still not been delivered and that is going to be very difficult, whereas the developers here have got an opportunity to do something within their own site.

"No one is asking for a fancy footpath, but one that means people can come off that road safely."

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Also at Tuesday's meeting, John Hansard, a member of the Kingsley Ward Action Group, made repeated complaints about the disruptions that residents have faced from construction sites in the area as he also called on the council to step up enforcement action on developers.

He said: "We have had nearly five years of constant construction from developers intent on avoiding any safety measures for residents and when we complain to enforcement they do nothing.

"Trucks continue to leave the sites with uncovered loads, depositing waste all over Kingsley Road.

"We have also had three developments all of which were supposed to have wheel washing machines in situ, yet none have."

Mr Hansard received sympathy from councillor Marsh who agreed that the Kinglsey area has "suffered far too much".

She said: "Hopefully this is the end of these developments here."

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter